Shamma Alkhoori

Prof. Lauren Treihaft

Final Paper: Comic Exposition

Dark Humor

August 18, 2022

Cannibalism In the Eyes of Dark Humor: A Play with Goreish Elements

The mix of cannibalism with humor is unusual, yet it has the potential to work

spectacularly if performed properly. Cannibalism has a long history in cinema, and although

it certainly comes under the category of horror, some of the production has been rather

humorous. As a matter of fact, Priscilla L. Walton describes in Our Cannibals, Ourselves,

“viewers no longer had to look to darkest Africa or the jungles of Borneo for flesh-eaters

because cannibals,  just like “us”, were stalking primetime TV” (154). The root of

cannibalism is redefined to bridge the gap between “us” and “them”. 

Directed by Julia Ducournau, Raw became recognized as the French cannibalism

film, though it is far more than that. After being grown vegetarian, Justine, a first-year

veterinary student, develops a troublesome case of cannibalism after a repulsive hazing event.

The story has emphasized gruesome details and cannibalistic scenarios. However, the film is

also an uncanny, heartbreaking, and at most times a darkly humorous coming-of-age

narrative that depicts the chaotic process of post-adolescent growth as a horror show. It is

about sibling rivalry, the battle to fit in socially when one cannot seem to fit in their own

body, and how one’s world changes when they learn that their parents are imperfect as well.

Consuming human flesh is the major metaphor of Ducournau's film, in which a young

lady learns about identity, need, and love. According to Richard King in his book The

(Mis)uses of Cannibalism in Contemporary Cultural Critique, “cannibalism ironically

incorporates, appropriates, and otherwise cannibalizes other ideologies, experiences, and

identities” (121). Drawing inspiration from Raw, Goû Cannibale satiric menu was made

consisting of several underlying dark humor elements. Ranging from irony, puns, cannibal

comedy, body horror, wry humor, and even double entendre. The main goal of Goû

Cannibale menu was to integrate awkward dark humor with grotesque body horror through

using human flesh to offer cannibalistic gross dishes. To set up the mood, a restaurant page is

created including a blood donation booth called Save Lives. This idea is profoundly ironic as

the real purpose of blood donation is to help those in need and prolong their lifespan, but in

such case, it is to be used as an ingredient to please people and advocate for the consuming

and recycling of blood. The first section includes four appetizers with two of them being

Eartres and Escargots Trotters. One inspired by the French dish Huitres and the other from

Escargots, with both falling under the umbrella of cannibalistic comedy, they symbolize the

exploitation of human beings. This is done by substituting ears instead of oysters and adding

trotters (foot) into snail shells. As for the two soups, one is inspired by French chestnut soup

and renamed as Chest(not) Soup. It underlines the ironic aspects of puns where a word could

sound alike, yet still has an underlying meaning. Next are the two salads, which include the

Chopped Salad referenced from French Chopped Salad. It serves as a double entendre where

the terms are the same but is open to two different interpretations. One of them is the

vegetarian salad, while the other is a gruesome salad with fingernails, toenails, and diced hair.

When coming to the thought process, it is from the humorous scene when Alexia chooses to

give Justine a Brazilian wax job. Afterwards is the Entrée section which has the Tête de bébé

taken from Tête de veau. Here, the innocent baby is subjected to contemptuous and

dismissive laughter, which is a ridiculous element. Coming to the sweetest part, the Éyeclair

is stemmed from the Éclair dessert. Body horror is a factor intended to psychologically

redefine the notion of what a dessert should be. It is done using the eyes' creamy sclera and

gauged eyeballs as the filling. For the drinks, the Bloody Justine inspired by Bloody Mary is
a form of consumption where blood is congealed to be a savory ingredient. Moreover, for the

Chef’s Special, the Beyond Steak is coming from Beyond Meat which is a manifestation of

irony as the dish is a grass-fed human’s meat rather than a vegetarian meat meant to provide

better sustainable food varieties. Finally, wry humor is underlined in the week’s dish, 2 Dead

for 2 Fresh. An experience where a couple can indulge in two bodies as the humanity of these

two people have been stripped off and they have been showcased on a pedestal to entertain

the elite taste.

“Are you your body or is your body you?” This is the main ideology of Julia

Ducournau, whose film focuses on the examination of the human body; its yearning, its

oddness, and the desire to subvert stereotypes. Our bodies are as flawed and unique as we are.

But we live in an era when commercial pressures have manufactured idealistic body types

that constantly push us to attain them and make us feel inadequate about our own bodies. 

Even while varied body types have been popular across history, we are now experiencing a

period in which individuals who do not conform to the present norm may be seen as

anomalies. We are bombarded with images of perfect bodies via the constant flow of modern

media, with film being the most extreme. Weirdly, cannibalism is used as a technique “of

engaging, appropriating, representing, and consuming difference” (King, 117). Ducournau’s

film is not about body types; rather, they are an attempt to normalize the peculiarity linked to

it, that we shy away from acknowledging in our everyday life.

It investigates the cravings of female bodies. Throughout film history, women's desire

has been portrayed as a negative element. Something that deviates from the hero's objective,

seduction by evil powers, or something that eventually results in tragedy and catastrophe.

Women are constantly shown as desirable but never as desiring anything. The filmmaker

brings us to the extremities of desire by devouring the flesh in its raw state. The object of

feminine desire in this context is raw human flesh.

 According to Laura Mulvey's 1975 essay, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Film,

conventional cinema narratives displaywoman "as [an] erotic object for the charcters within

the screen story,  [and] for the spectator within the auditorium" which to be specific is

fetishization by a leading male (11). Julia not only subverts this norm, but also pushes the

authority of female characters to something as horrific as cannibals. Even though she uses

body horror cliches, she goes the additional mile to discuss women's desires by creating a

terrifying ambiance.

Raw argues against manifestations of society and peer pressure. It makes a strong

argument for the startling contrast between monstrous and human development through

numerous images of ritualistic behavior. Various social rituals are built and dismantled

throughout the film, which frames women in contradictory, but surprisingly empowering

ways. In Raw, cannibalism is showcased as “an experience and embodied practice, deflecting

attention away from specific symbolic, ideological, and ritual elaborations of it” (King, 121).

Ducournau demonstrates how Justine circumvents her own determinism. Even the most

terrifying monstrosities are watchable and oddly relatable thanks to the film's

unapologetically provocative imagery and the profoundly sympathetic storyline. Essentially,

the film revolves about metamorphosis in its purest and unapologetic form. The audience is

challenged by Ducournau to approach Justine's antiheroine critically rather than simply

condemning or demonizing her for some dark, yet ultimately human impulses.

The ability of an audience to identify with a character through humor is essential. At

the start of the film, Justine is a character that one laughs with rather than one laughs at. This

forges a connection between the viewer and the character that endures all through the film.

Comedy has an impact, especially when it occurs in a dark setting. Laughter is far deeper in

the dark than it can be on its own. It puts laughing in some sort of context. In genre movies,

laughing can serve as a catharsis or even as a way to enhance or flatter the genre. A
character's ability to make the audience laugh at the beginning of a movie aids in developing

empathy for that character during the rest of the movie. For instance, Adrien is hilarious in

the cafeteria scene from Raw where they discuss monkeys and rape. It is crucial that the

audience enjoy Adrien in this scene because he will serve as Justine's main focus for the

remainder of the movie. For the viewers to relate to Justine, they must relate to him.

Instead of focusing on what it wants to show, the movie's strength lies in what it has

to say. Like all effective satire, it understands that excessive showing undermines the impact.

Raw casts a mirror at us, getting beneath our skin. In essence, Ducournau is displaying a

civilization that is devouring itself. The fact that Raw is a debut film is a remarkable quality.

Ducournau’s style is subversive in this age of sensationalism, where theatrical gestures rule

everything from politics to tweets. The artwork used to promote the movie is a tasteful

example of how to make the ugly sophisticated. There is no hint in the main poster that blood

will be served in gory cannibalistic scenes; instead, it is a close-up of Marillier who appears

to be having a little nosebleed. The artwork and tactics of the movie are age-appropriate. Isn't

this the time of fashionable conformity? More than ever, brands and appearances define

people on a social level; even politics has evolved into a stage covered in consumerism and

slogans. A false sense of progress was presented in recent years, but below there always

lurked violent emotions and horrible impulses.

In this film, cannibalism is used as a metaphor for adolescent violence brought on by

hormones and the sheer horror of growing up. In a way, can it be said that all people are

cannibals if Justine is coping with a changing body that makes decisions that she isn't fully

aware of? Is it logical to infer that cannibalism is “a kind of universal unconscious, rooted in

desire and power, unites old and new, primitive and (post)modern, embodied and

metaphoric” (King, 115)? It is reasonable to conclude that as long as people are obsessed
with categorizing body types and debating fat-shaming (among other societal practices), they

are all terrified of their physical selves and how easily their bodies can revolt against them.

It is crucial to understand that Raw is more than just a horror movie. Ducournau

intended for Raw to defy conventional cinematic categories by fusing elements from many

genres (comedy, thriller, and body horror). Her graphic portrayal of cannibalism is cloaked in

coming-of-age tales and black comedic wit. It offers a far deeper meaning that incorporates

morals, touching moments of self-discovery, and emotional familial bonds.

The well crafted cinematography and music selections give the movie a distinctive

ambiance and ensures that the tone is never uncertain. Few movies even come close to

displaying the levels of hideous brutality and heartfelt message that Raw delivers. It is unique

and not constrained by the parameters of any certain genre. A reminder that Ducournau is not

ashamed to give people civilization at its foundation. It could be a bit much for the faint of

heart, but human nature can often be a bit much too.

 Work Cited

King, Richard. The (Mis)Uses of Cannibalism in Contemporary Cultural Critique. 1st ed.,

vol. 30, The John Hopkins University, 2000, pp. 106–123,

www.jstor.org/stable/1566438?seq=1&cid=pdf- reference#references_tab_contents.

Mulvey, Laura. “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” Screen, vol. 16, no. 3, 1975, pp. 6–

18.

Walton, Priscilla L. Our Cannibals, Ourselves. Urbana, University Of Illinois Press, 2004, pp.

141–154, www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/j.ctt1xcgrz.11.